Boy with Wings
- Vanessa Bettencourt
- 21 hours ago
- 2 min read
BOY WITH WINGS by Mark Mustian is a historical fiction novel.
Published: March 2025, 324 pages
- Publisher: Koehler Books
- Category: Adult Fiction (18+ and up)
- Genre: Historical Literary Fiction
- Rating: PG-13: There is adult content, use of the f word and (in limited context) the n word
About the book
What does it mean to be different? When Johnny Cruel is born with strange appendages on his back in the 1930s South, the locals think he’s a devil. Determined to protect him, his mother fakes his death, and they flee. Thus begins Johnny’s yearslong struggle to find a place he belongs. From a turpentine camp of former slaves to a freak show run by a dwarf who calls herself Tiny Tot and on to the Florida capitol building, Johnny finds himself working alongside other outcasts, struggling to answer the question of his existence. Is he a horror, a wonder, or an angel? Should he hide himself to live his life? Accompanying Johnny’s journey through love, betrayal, heartbreak, and several murders, Boy with Wings is a story of the sacrifices and freedom inherent in making one’s own special way—and of love and the miracles that give our lives meaning.
Buy the book:
Author-Signed Copy: https://midtownreader.com/mark-mustian-signed-copies
Amazon: https://amzn.to/46O69qx
Mark Mustian is the author of the novels "The Return" and "The Gendarme," the latter a finalist for the Dayton International Literary Peace Prize and shortlisted for the Saroyan International Award for Writing. It won the Florida Gold Book Award for Fiction and has been published in ten languages. The founder of the Word of South Festival of Literature and Music in Tallahassee, Florida, his new novel, "Boy With Wings," is the winner of the Grand Prize for Fiction from Next Generation Indie Book Awards and has received numerous other honors, including winning the Bronze Prize for Historical Fiction from Independent Publishers Book Awards (IPPY) and being named a finalist for the Hawthorne Award for Fiction.
4 stars
"Nobody has what they need..."
The author's writing style is very beautiful, lyrical and evocative. And works well on contrast with the harsh truths. The magic realism aspects give us a winged boy and that element is going to let the author explore themes of outcast, racism, sense of belonging, identity, the historical known carnival of freaks.
Sad but powerful, harsh but with space for finding love. This is set right before WWII.
#BoywithWings, @markmustianauthor, @lauren.ireadbooktours, @ireadbooktours, #ireadbooktours
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